


Chasing the Modern Zeus

by Sandentwins



Category: Taiyou no Ko Esteban | Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or | The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Genre: Crack, Fan Vehicles, Gen, run for your life my good dude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 00:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17714879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: The Cities of Gold will have to wait; for now, a much more important quest is taking place.





	Chasing the Modern Zeus

“So...how is everyone else doing?”

As usual, no one answered. So Esteban simply shrugged, and sit back in even more unease.

The Samarius, this impressive vehicle of Mu technology, was slowly advancing over the rocky ground of the mountainside. Aboard this centipede-shaped all-terrain train, a couple dozens of kids and teens had taken place, making up a strange convoy that made its way through a path of the Andes. In the middle of this fancy equipage of little to no adult supervision, Esteban could have wondered what he was doing here, but there was no escaping the truth.

Something tugged on his sleeve, and he looked down to see Tamaya's little five-year old face smiling up at him. He tilted his head, and she handed him a piece of parchment bearing a drawing she's made: the long, slithery form of the Samarius, with about twenty or more people riding on its back, of various sizes and aspects. And she looked very proud of it.

“That's lovely.”, said Esteban, smiling anyway. “So...which is which, tell me?”

And the little Inca girl proceeded to point out every member of the youthful equipage on the drawing. She was the one with braided hair in the middle; this one with the crooked smile was Wayna, this one with a missing arm was Felipe, this one with feathers in her hair was Marisa, and by the time she got to the last names he's already forgotten the first ones. After all, there were so many kids in this ship, and he's never met any of them before...oh, there he was in the back, with the little moon necklace.

“That's very lovely.”, he praised her, trying to stay positive. 

She smiled with her missing tooth, and returned to the group of toddlers who were busy drawing under the supervision of one of the older teens. As for Esteban, he took another look around the room.

So many people. So many kids he's met for the first time a short while ago. So many lives, united by one goal and one only. Not riches, not fame, not even personal exploration. But something...more vicious even than that. And even Esteban's worries about the Cities of Gold, his friends, his enemies, were not enough to stop him from taking part in this equipage's search across the world.

Said equipage was growing. In the next village they stopped at, they ended up taking in a couple Mayan girls, adorable little twins with the same thick black hair as half the crew. Their mother was a bit reticent at first, but once she understood the point of this expedition, she gladly gave the Samarius crew her blessing, as well as some supplies for the road. Like the other mothers before her that also wished them the best of luck in their quest. Esteban wondered whether his own mother would have done the same, but grimly told himself she'd never have the occasion to, now. And even if he denied it, it made him feel bitter inside, enough that he'd follow these other children to wherever their goal would lead. 

Yet united as they were, communication was very awkward between one another. The youngest ones had no trouble playing together and bonding, childish as they were, but those in age to understand the difficult matter at hand were very uneasy with it. Not once during the whole journey was the topic approached in a way deeper than brief mentions, and it was best not to talk of it at all. It was, after all, a touchy subject for some of them, and they didn't want to start fighting or crying over it. So they just didn't mention it at all. And yet, these children had for most part a good nature, so they still found some ways to bond. 

Most of these kids were native to the New World, but some have been raised in Europe, like Esteban. It's been a long while since he's had any conversations in Spanish with kids his age, and it was a pleasant surprise when he found out. Some came from Asia, like Haruki the soft-spoken Japanese boy, or Yang-Chen and their many ways to amuse the little ones. Little Marisol was even born on a boat, as shown by her game of calling herself a mermaid and talking in “seaspeak”. All of these were part of a unique crew, made of children from most parts of the world, and in a sense this was something quite beautiful. 

They've been through a lot together. They've journeyed aboard this freight relic for weeks now, visiting endless lands and countries, meeting so many people, getting closer and closer to their goal. Closer to the truth. And over time, he's realized how important their common quest was, and how the chase of the Cities of Gold paled in comparison. Esteban might have had doubts before, but now that he's met these kids and their objective, he could only follow them wholeheartedly. 

By the time they arrived to their destination, they were eighty in total. The youngest was Nina, of only six months old; the eldest was Charos, a tall and scrawny guy in his early thirties, chosen leader of the Samarius's equipage. All of these people came from various backgrounds: some were orphans, some were living in good families, but none of them truly knew where they came from. Some were seeking retribution; some were seeking kinship. Some were just there for fun, and some some saw this mission as their ultimate goal of sorts. And while they looked like they had nothing in common, all these people were bound together by fate.

It took them over three months to finally get to their destination, a seemingly lost place in Maya territory, surrounded by ruins and mountains. A seemingly empty place, which was but the entryway to something of much bigger scale and scope. A place whose rare residents got struck with surprise and incomprehension, when they were met with this crew of eighty people who did not stop for anything or anyone. They would not let themselves be stopped, not after coming all the way here from their various homes. 

Guards and soldiers had no choice but to draw away from their path, not knowing whether it was wise to let these children's march come to a stop. Led by Charos, the group made its way down the bowels of the hill, arriving very soon to a hall made of solid gold. A hall in which someone was standing, visibly surprised by their arrival.

A tall man in a priest's robes, his face masked with gold. It was clear he didn't understand what was going on.

“Who are you?”, he called out, taken by surprise. “What are you doing here, children? And how did you find this place?”

All around, childish faces started to frown and scowl. Fists got clenched, teeth got gritted, and more than one shoulder had to be held back. Esteban also felt his blood boil, at the sight of this lousy, treacherous good-for-nothing man.

Charos managed to keep his composure, despite his burning anger. He took a coupe steps forward, looking at the High Priest, whose tremendous height he somehow matched. And when he got face-to-face with him, he simply smiled.

“Good day to you, _father._ ”

At this word, all color drained from what little face could still be seen.

“My half-siblings and I just so happened to be in the neighborhood, and we thought it would be nice to come and...greet you personally. You know? To catch up with lost time...talk of our dear mothers.”

His corner smile turned into a grin.

“And believe me. We have _a lot_ to tell you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have no explanation for this; so if you have one, I'll gladly take it.


End file.
